Festival Friday

  

All this weekend:

 

Live music, dancing, street food, wine...

 

 Place des Abbesses 

 Montmartre 

 

Seafood lovers 

 Fête de la coquille Saint-Jacques and Saint Vincent 2026

 

January 24 - 25 

 

INFO

 

 

Mollusk Monday

 

 

Dazzling fresh plateaux de fruits de mer, seafood platters.

 

 ***

There are times when nothing quite satisfies like shellfish, and France's sprawling coastline has no shortage. From plump mussels and tender scallops to crab, winkles and whelks, even lobster (the famous "Breton blue lobster" native to the northeastern Atlantic), more, every craving is catered to.

Years ago, living in London, I met a French student at Sotheby's Institute of Art who shared a delicious secret. She told me how her father, a chef living in Normandy, would tell everyone he was off to Paris on business but instead, his pilgrimages to the capital were for one reason alone: to treat himself to a seafood platter at legendary Café de la Paix. Hands rubbing together in anticipation, he'd claim a prime terrace seat with the majestic Opéra Garnier in view and dive in, and there he'd sit, undisturbed, savoring every bite like a monarch lost in a lavish spread - glistening oysters, succulent shrimps, crab, clams, mussels, lobster tail... - all to himself.

Today, Paris' seafood platters seem like they're trying to outdo each other, each one more varied than the next. With oyster season upon us, now is a good time to gear up for these zinc-packed feasts that hit all the right spots. - BPJ

***

Sharing (or not) seafood platters and towers can get pricey due to premium quality and sourcing. Expect to pay €65 - €150 euros for an elaborate, multi-tiered platter for two or more. Prices vary based on size and can climb for inclusions like caviar or lobster. Many spots emphasize sustainable fisheries and small producers, aligning with modern fooding trends:

Café de la Paix

9th arrondissement

 

Huguette, Bistro de la Mer

6th arrondissement 

 

Ostra

5th arrondissement

Huitrerie Régis

6th arrondissement

 

Le Collier de la Reine

10th arrondissement

 

L'Ecailler du Bistro

11th arrondissement  

 

 Clamato

11th arrondissement

 

Le Dôme

14th arrondissement

 

Girafe

(I was surprised too)

16th arrondissement

 

Dessirier

17th arrondissement

Table Tuesday

 A table set for wine, oyster, and seafood sharing in the middle of a market in the 18th arrondissement.

 

Mollusk Monday

 

Belon oysters fresh from Brittany to Paris, with love.

Accompagnements: black bread/butter, lemon wedges, mignonette (red-wine vinegar shallots sauce), glass of Pouilly-Fumé

Above: at the seafood bar at La Grande Épicerie

Le Bon Marché Rive Gauche 

 ***

More:

Bulot Bulot

 Huîtrerie Regis

 L'Épouissette 

 Les Maquereaux

 Joysters

 Brasserie Cézanne

 Huîtres et Saumons

 Istre - NY style oyster bar

 Gaya - Pierre Gagnaire (comptoir)

 Seulement Sea

 Huguette, Bistro de la Mer

 Oyster Club

 

 

Sun Ré

 

We lucked out with sunshine every day, not always the case on the Atlantic coast.

Above: simple Ré-past (sharing apéro) of beet falafels, baked camembert w/honey and fresh herbs, local oysters, terrine maison; village square dining; morning markets

Farewell to an oyster

 

Another Covid casualty, much frequented Saint-Kerber Comptoir de l'Huître, Marché Saint-Germain.

Standing order

 

 

Oysters and wine at 10 a.m.

 

Maison des Épicureans

46 rue Lamarck 75018

 

Only two or three tables.

 Standing only.

Get there early.

 

Now you see them

Now you don't.

 

No sooner had fresh oysters made a comeback Paris goes back into its shell.

 

Tonight at midnight.

Paris by the sea #4

Since last week when I began posting photos of île de Ré there's been a surge in my visitor stats, mostly from the U.S., which tells me that perhaps travel is at the forefront of many minds right now. We're praying that restrictions will soon be lifted but here in France there's been another kind of surge: coronavirus cases - the dreaded deuxième vague? - meaning that for us too, travel to foreign soils or even within France may become unlikely again for who knows how long. However I thank you for your visits and will continue to post, all the while hoping to see you in Paris in the (near) future! - BPJ

Above: on a small street inside the village of Ars-en-Ré; local church dating to the Middle Ages w/its landmark black and white steeple and snow white entryway

Below: spices entice from a market stall; Pineau des Charentes, the region's signature apéritif mingles w/French wines, beers and cognacs; local fresh oysters for lunch

 

Better with beer

Shellfish platter lunch at one of our local cafés.

Coquillages

Seafood lovers will be heading to Montmartre's annual Fête de la Coquille all weekend as Paris celebrates shellfish in all its forms.

Above: a Sunday lunch

 

***

Merci Marcel 

 

 

January 26 - 27, 2019

More info

L'écailleur

It's not easy shucking oysters all day but he does it cheerfully, and artfully, as he's been doing for years.

Rocher de Cancale

Now a regular café-restaurant this was writer Balzac's go-to place for fresh oysters from Brittany.

Au Rocher de Cancale

78 rue Montorgueil 75002